Hacking Heritage: Understanding the Limits of Online Access

Research output: A Conference proceeding or a Chapter in Book › Chapter

Abstract

In 1995, an Australian government plan for digital innovation highlighted some exciting possibilities that lay ahead for the cultural sector (Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, 1995). Access to collections would be ‘simplified’ through the creation of an ‘Electronic Smithsonian’—a portal to bring together the holdings of national cultural institutions:

For the user this home page access will be like walking electronically down an avenue of all our major museums or galleries. People will be able to find out about the collections, their significance and context, and use interactive links to other institutions, as well as to access digitalised images.

Two decades later, the United Kingdom (UK) government’s Culture White Paper (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2016) envisaged a similar pathway for users, while seeking to make the UK ‘one of the world’s leading countries for digitised public collections content’: ‘We want users to enjoy a seamless experience online, and have the chance to access particular collections in depth as well as search across all collections.’

Original language

English

Title of host publication

The Routledge International Handbook of New Digital Practices in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and Heritage Sites

title = "Hacking Heritage: Understanding the Limits of Online Access",

abstract = "In 1995, an Australian government plan for digital innovation highlighted some exciting possibilities that lay ahead for the cultural sector (Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, 1995). Access to collections would be ‘simplified’ through the creation of an ‘Electronic Smithsonian’—a portal to bring together the holdings of national cultural institutions:For the user this home page access will be like walking electronically down an avenue of all our major museums or galleries. People will be able to find out about the collections, their significance and context, and use interactive links to other institutions, as well as to access digitalised images.Two decades later, the United Kingdom (UK) government’s Culture White Paper (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2016) envisaged a similar pathway for users, while seeking to make the UK ‘one of the world’s leading countries for digitised public collections content’: ‘We want users to enjoy a seamless experience online, and have the chance to access particular collections in depth as well as search across all collections.’",

Research output: A Conference proceeding or a Chapter in Book › Chapter

TY - CHAP

T1 - Hacking Heritage: Understanding the Limits of Online Access

AU - Sherratt, Tim

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - In 1995, an Australian government plan for digital innovation highlighted some exciting possibilities that lay ahead for the cultural sector (Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, 1995). Access to collections would be ‘simplified’ through the creation of an ‘Electronic Smithsonian’—a portal to bring together the holdings of national cultural institutions:For the user this home page access will be like walking electronically down an avenue of all our major museums or galleries. People will be able to find out about the collections, their significance and context, and use interactive links to other institutions, as well as to access digitalised images.Two decades later, the United Kingdom (UK) government’s Culture White Paper (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2016) envisaged a similar pathway for users, while seeking to make the UK ‘one of the world’s leading countries for digitised public collections content’: ‘We want users to enjoy a seamless experience online, and have the chance to access particular collections in depth as well as search across all collections.’

AB - In 1995, an Australian government plan for digital innovation highlighted some exciting possibilities that lay ahead for the cultural sector (Department of Industry, Science and Tourism, 1995). Access to collections would be ‘simplified’ through the creation of an ‘Electronic Smithsonian’—a portal to bring together the holdings of national cultural institutions:For the user this home page access will be like walking electronically down an avenue of all our major museums or galleries. People will be able to find out about the collections, their significance and context, and use interactive links to other institutions, as well as to access digitalised images.Two decades later, the United Kingdom (UK) government’s Culture White Paper (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2016) envisaged a similar pathway for users, while seeking to make the UK ‘one of the world’s leading countries for digitised public collections content’: ‘We want users to enjoy a seamless experience online, and have the chance to access particular collections in depth as well as search across all collections.’

UR - https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429506765

U2 - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3544989

DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3544989

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781138581296

SP - 116

EP - 130

BT - The Routledge International Handbook of New Digital Practices in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums and Heritage Sites